on naming a sculpture . . .

Occasionally, I am troubled by my tendency to name every sculpture. In some instances, I fear that a title limits the genuine response and observation of viewers. Initial impressions are foreclosed and I am denied what others see. At an exhibition back in 2011, I removed the title from a work because I was unhappy with it. The sculpture then bore the name ‘Untitled’. When I asked a woman named Olivia what she saw. She said, almost without hesitation, “It’s a kiss.” … and The Kisshas been the name of this sculpture ever since.